Cesitism
Cesitism Cesitism is a religious cult devoted to the Goddess Cesita. It is not restricted to a single ethnicity or race, but it is generally confined to the Nesarian Empire, and is almost entirely absent amongst Orcs and Dungors. The religion is based on the word of Cesita herself, who supposedly came to Earth to personally spread her message and wrote it down in the Book of Joy (most often referred to in Nesarian as Baca vi Comas). It is almost certain that Ciseta is the same as the Kadintoan deity Kashita, although Kashitite Kadintoans consider Cesitism to be heresy and an extreme perversion of Kashita's word. Cesitism is officially banned throughout the Empire, but is still practised by many. The sacred animal of Cesitism is the cat, and black cats are held in the highest regard. To kill a cat, especially a black one, would greatly anger Cesita and reduce her power - Cesitans believe that a small part of Cesita lives in every cat, with a stronger presence in black cats. The description of Cesita is similar to the Kadintoan description of Kashita, but with a few minor differences, and with an excessive amount of detail. Cesita is described as so beautiful that people of both genders and all sexualities are attracted to her. Her hair is black and falls to about 2/3 down her back. She possesses horns, a tail, bat-like wings and claws, all of which are black. Her skin is a light shade of red, her irides are glowing bright yellow and her sclerae are black, and everyone finds her extremely attractive despite these features. She also possesses both male and female genitalia. On every occasion in which she appeared on Earth, she appeared naked and every mortal instantly fell in love with her. The differences with the Kadintoan description are that in Kadinto, Kashita possesses pale purple skin and glowing purple irides, and her hair is somewhat longer. Cesita is, by the standards of other religions, an extremely hedonistic and sadistic Goddess, who promotes deliberately abandoning concepts such as monogamy, mercy and peace. Cesitan cultists possess ancient suits of armour, known as Rakfagans (it is unknown what language this word comes from) that used to have magical capabilities which allowed the wearer - regardless of whether they were an Elf or not - to be able to wield limited magic. The oldest surviving Rakfagan is believed to have been made in 220BC. They only seemed to work for Cesitans and gave more magical power to more devout Cesitans - it is most likely that this is an illusion created by magic which draws power from chaos, similar to how Kashita functioned. Since the mid-1800s, Rakfagans have not worked, but they are still worn in rituals. Cesitans believe that complete devotion to Cesita will bring magic back, but only to the righteous who follow her word. Sacrifice is common in Cesitism, and it is believed that sacrifices give power to Cesita, prove your loyalty to her, and also placate her wrath. Hominids are sometimes sacrificed to Cesita, which supposedly has the greatest effect. The act of "sinning" (what other religions would consider sinning) is also believed to have the same effect, although to a lesser degree. Cesitans do not propose terrorism and mass slaughter of heathens, however ritual murders (often combined with torture and/or rape) are common, and it is believed that the more pain and suffering you can inflict upon an individual before they are sacrificed, the more powerful the sacrifice will be - this does not apply to those who willingly offer themselves up, who are the greatest sacrifice and who are given a quick and clean death. Male Cesitans often become soldiers, and often also find themselves punished for war crimes. Monogamy is explicitly forbidden, and Cesitans often have at least three sexual partners simultaneously, and they frequently participate in orgies fuelled by drink and drugs. They do not marry and their relationships are almost entirely physical. A minority sometimes indulge in paedophilia, athough the vast majority of Cesitans cannot bring themselves to do it, and it is one of the few moral issues that Cesita seems to take a stand on. Cesitans believe that only the faithful can enter the Afterlife, which is a land of eternal and infinite joy where everything you could ever desire comes true. Those who are not faithful to Cesita experience absolutely nothing when they die, which slowly drives the soul insane through extreme and eternal boredom.